1-2.
HISTORY OF ARMY PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY
a. Establishment of a Preventive Program. The Army Preventive Dentistry
Program had its first formal introduction in November 1960. At this time, Colonel
Thomas McFall presented his paper entitled, "The Role of Prevention in Military
Dentistry," at a meeting of military surgeons in Washington, D.C. The spring of 1961
marked the beginning of a drastic change in the dental health care philosophy of the
Army Dental Corps. Prior to this time, Army dentistry had been largely a repair service.
In other words, the correction of damage already done. From that point forward, the
emphasis was on prevention of future dental disease. This program evolved with
advances in oral microbiology providing greater understanding of the causes of dental
disease and recognizing that most of these diseases are preventable.
b. Preventive Dentistry Branch. On 30 August 1962, a commitment to a
formalized program was established with the publication of TB MED 5, "Preventive
Dentistry." This document provided a basic outline of the principles of this program. To
control the operation of this program, the office of the Chief of the Army Dental Corps
was reorganized with the Preventive Dentistry Branch becoming one of the four main
branches with the Dental Corps. Responsibility for the programs was given to the
preventive dentistry officer.
c. Necessity for a Military Preventive Program. The man-hours lost to dental
emergencies caused by oral disease is a serious problem for the Army at all times, but
especially during training and combat. In contrast to the average civilian population,
military personnel are more mobile, are often stationed in remote training areas, and are
required to maintain a high level of oral and general health to fulfill combat readiness
roles. Since dental treatment and follow-up care is often interrupted, it is extremely
important to reduce the number of treatments required to maintain the soldier at
maximum oral health. Reducing treatment visits through preventive practices also
reduces time lost from training and reduces the number of trained dental professionals
necessary to treat the military population. The Preventive Dentistry Program teaches
the soldier how to prevent future dental diseases. It also teaches him how to maintain
oral health after receiving dental treatment. The success of the Preventive Dentistry
Program is due in part to education of the troops in the field. This approach ensures
lower costs, fewer man-hours involved, and less occupation of valuable dental clinic
chair space.
MD0513
1-3